Marc's Legs Aren't Good For Nathaniel's Health
by SethRocks
Summary: The school allows the students to vote on what the annual charity fundraiser will be and maid cafe wins. Marinette and her friends sign up to be maids, but the event still needs three volunteers so Marinette takes it upon herself to get the spots filled. She manages to get two filled rather easily and finds a surprising candidate for the third and final spot.
1. Chapter 1

"So class, the deadline for submitting ideas for the school's annual charity fundraiser was yesterday and all of the suggestions have been read and listed on these sheets. I'm going to hand one to everybody. Just mark the box next to the suggestion that you think is the best and at the end of the school day, the winning event will be announced."

Miss Bustier walked through the center aisle and distributed the papers, making sure that every student received one. Marinette smiled as she got hers and quickly scanned the list. There were some alright suggestions, but the second to last one caught her attention the most.

The words 'Maid Cafe' stood out to her and she smiled more before putting a check in the box next to that suggestion. She turned the paper in along with everyone else and Miss Bustier put them all in an envelope before beginning her lesson. The rest of the day flew by quickly and before Marinette realized it, the school day was nearly finished. She looked up as the intercom suddenly buzzed to life and Mr. Damocles's voice was heard.

"Attention students, all of the votes for the school's fundraiser have been counted and the winner by a wide margin is Maid Cafe. Thanks to everyone for voting. Information about the event can be found on the school's bulletin board."

The intercom turned off and Marinette smiled, pleased that the idea she voted for was the winner. As she was lost in thought, the bell rang and she left the classroom before making her way to the school's bulletin board. There were a few papers tacked up about the fundraiser event which would be held the next day. One of them said that they needed eight maids for the event and there was a completely empty list where volunteers could write their names down.

While looking over the paper, Marinette heard footsteps and turned around to see her friends approaching the board. She moved over so they could all see. Mylène read over the paper saying that they needed maids and the short girl smiled before grabbing a pen and writing her name down. One by one, Mylène, Rose, Juleka, and Alya all wrote their names down. After they did, they started persuading Marinette to volunteer as well so they could all work at the event together. Marinette hesitantly agreed and wrote her name down as well.

After she did, Marinette looked at the three remaining spots and decided to find people to sign up. She pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Kagami to see if she would like to sign up. The brazen girl quickly replied and let Marinette know that she would indeed be interested in signing up. Marinette smiled once she read the response.

One down, two to go. Marinette soon spotted Kim walking nearby and stopped him. She asked him to text his girlfriend Ondine to see if she would be interested. He did and Ondine quickly agreed to volunteer. Marinette grinned and thanked him. He smiled and jokingly saluted before making his way to swim class.

Marinette then began leaving school with all of the other students who were no doubt ready to escape and do whatever they wanted for the rest of the day. As she was walking, she thought about all of the girls she knew but was drawing blanks on who to ask to fill in the last spot. Suddenly, she spotted a bright red hoodie and dark hair. She easily made her way through the flood of students going through the hallway and raised an arm.

"Marc!"

Marinette tried getting the shy boy's attention. Marc looked around, trying to see where the voice was coming from before spotting the blue-eyed girl. He smiled and met her halfway.

"Hey, Marinette."

The dark-haired boy greeted her kindly. Marinette returned the smile and walked with him out of school. Once outside, Marinette stopped walking and Marc did as well. He noticed that she was lost in thought and looked at her curiously.

"Are you okay?"

Marc asked quietly.

"Yeah, I'm just having a small problem is all."

The blue-eyed girl smiled a little.

"Oh. What is the problem?"

Marc asked kindly.

"You know how the school is having a fundraiser?"

Marc nodded and Marinette continued explaining.

"Well, my other friends and I all signed up to work at the event but we just need one more person."

Marc listened and once Marinette finished talking, he sheepishly spoke up.

"I...I can sign up if you would like."

Marinette smiled and looked slightly surprised.

"Really? You would do that?"

"Yeah. We're friends and I would like to help out."

Marc said shyly.

Marinette smiled more.

"That's great. I'll let the girls know."

While Marinette texted the others to let them know who else they would be working with, Marc went to the board and wrote his name down in the last remaining spot on the sign-up sheet. Once he returned to Marinette, she smiled at him.

"Would you happen to be free for the rest of the day?"

Marinette asked Marc who looked slightly confused by the question.

The green-eyed boy nodded and Marinette smiled wider.

"Perfect. I can make your outfit for the fundraiser. I just need to take your measurements and I can get started on it. We can hang out while I work."

Marc nodded once again and walked with the blue-eyed girl to her home. After quietly walking for a few minutes, they arrived at the bakery and entered the shop. Marinette waved in greeting as she passed her busy parents who briefly waved back at her. She kept walking and led Marc into her bedroom.

The dark-haired boy took his boots off and sat down on the long chair in the corner. Marinette dug through the clutter in one of her desk drawers and let out a triumphant sound as she pulled out a cloth tape measure. She then approached Marc.

"Could you stand there please?"

Marinette pointed to the middle of the room. Marc walked to the spot she specified and stood still, not really sure what to do since he's never been measured before. Marinette got a shy look and spoke awkwardly.

"This is going to be a weird thing to ask of you, but I need you to remove all of your bulky clothing. I think just taking off your hoodie should be good though since your pants and shirt are quite tight."

Marc flushed a little and took off his hoodie. He went and sat it down on the sofa where he was sitting before returning to the middle of the room. Marc stayed still as possible while Marinette took his measurements and she wrote them all down before grabbing some fabric and sitting down in front of her sewing machine.

"While I'm working, you can use my computer if you would like."

Marinette kindly offered, but Marc declined as he returned to the long chair and sat down.

"I'll just watch videos on my phone."

Marc smiled at her and Marinette smiled back before turning to her desk and preparing pieces of fabric. Marc started watching videos before an alert popped up on his phone, letting him know that he had a new message. He opened it and saw it was from Nathaniel. He smiled fondly, unaware that Marinette was watching him. After sending a text back to the redhead, he glanced up and noticed the small smirk she had and the knowing look in her eyes. He flushed slightly from being under her direct attention.

"Who are you texting?"

Marinette asked playfully even though she was pretty sure that she knew who the shy writer was messaging.

"N-nobody."

Marc's face flushed more and he stuttered nervously.

"Well, 'nobody' must be really important for you to look like that while texting them."

Marinette returned to her sewing while continuing to talk to Marc. The green-eyed boy nervously fiddled with the sleeves of his hoodie before speaking up.

"I was texting...Nathaniel."

Marc nervously admitted with a small frown. Marinette heard a slight amount of embarrassment in his voice and turned off her sewing machine before turning in her chair to worriedly look at him.

"Are you okay?"

Marc shrugged and Marinette frowned.

"I'm sorry if I made you feel bad. I wasn't trying to."

Marc shot her a strained smile.

"I know you weren't. It's just getting stressful having feelings for him. You're the only person that knows that I'm gay. Nathaniel is probably straight anyway."

Marc gazed downheartedly to the side.

Marinette felt a twinge of sadness and got up from her chair to sit down next to the saddened boy. She rested a hand on his shoulder.

"I can't imagine how you feel, but I think that everything will turn out alright. You don't know for sure that Nathaniel's straight. I think that whenever you're comfortable enough to, you should ask him if he likes boys. Worst case scenario, he says no. Best case scenario, he says yes and you can ask him out."

Marc stayed quiet as Marinette gave him advice and felt his mood rise a little. He gave her a small smile of gratitude.

"Thanks for cheering me up."

Marinette smiled brightly at him.

"It's no problem. That's what friends do."

The next couple of hours were spent quietly with Marinette working on Marc's outfit while Marc switched between watching videos on his phone, texting Nathaniel, and writing in the small journal that he almost always had with him. While Marc was scribbling in his notebook, Marinette suddenly stood up from her chair.

"I'm finally done."

Marinette exclaimed happily as she held up a complete maid outfit. Marc blushed as he looked at it and imagined how he would look wearing that. His self-doubt began to tug at his thoughts and he frowned. Marinette noticed his frown.

"Do you not like it?"

Marinette asked.

"I do. It's just...I don't think that I'll look good in it."

The blue-eyed girl smiled kindly at him.

"Well, I disagree. I think that you will look great in it. Could you at least try it on? There's a divider right over there."

The writer nodded and carefully took the outfit from her before going behind the divider. He began to change and heard Marinette greet her classmates as they came in. The writer took a deep breath and forced himself to remain calm. He removed his shirt and pants before pulling the dress over his head and sliding it on. He then put on the pair of shorts that Marinette made to accompany the dress which came down to right above his knees. He also slid on a pair of black flats that Marinette lent him.

Marc looked at his reflection in the long mirror nearby and noticed that the dress fit him perfectly but he wasn't sure if other people would think that he looked good in it. He hesitated for a few seconds before walking out from behind the divider while anxiously gripping his arm and keeping his gaze down. He heard a collective gasp from the group of girls sat in the room and assumed the worst.

"I told you Marinette. I don't look good. I'll get changed out of this and go."

Marc's words got more anxious the longer he spoke and he turned to go back behind the divider but a hand on his arm stopped him.

"No! You look amazing."

Marinette assured him while the other girls nodded in agreement.

"The outfit definitely compliments your hair."

Alya commented with a genuine smile.

"It fits you really well!"

Rose loudly and happily proclaimed with a wide smile.

Juleka nodded in agreement with her excitable girlfriend.

"The black and white of the dress really brings out the color of your eyes."

Mylène spoke kindly.

Alix simply grinned and gave Marc two thumbs up.

Marc shyly smiled and blushed from the praise.

"Thank you all."

After that, Marc headed home and agreed to meet Marinette and her friends back at the bakery the next morning to get ready. The night passed rather uneventfully and Marc went to bed, feeling a mixture of excitement and anxiousness about the next day. After a quick breakfast, once the dark-haired boy woke up, he headed over to Marinette's home where everyone else was already waiting.

They quickly did some makeup and wardrobe preparation and they all headed over to the cafe that the fundraiser was being held at. They arrived a few minutes before the shop was supposed to open. Each of them was given a notepad and pen and they simply waited as the doors were opened and people began coming in.


	2. Chapter 2

About an hour before the fundraiser was supposed to end, Nathaniel walked in with the other guys in his class except for Max who was spending the day with his mom since she would be leaving the next day for her astronaut training. The only one in the group that wasn't his classmate was Luka who had tagged along with Adrien.

Nathaniel looked around, admiring the decorations of the small cafe. He quickly noticed Alix sitting at a table while eating her food. He waved at her and she waved back with a smirk on her face and a mischievous gleam in her eyes. He narrowed his eyes slightly. He's been friends with the short girl long enough to know that every time she has that expression, something is going on.

The redheaded artist glanced around the shop but didn't notice anything out of the ordinary until his eyes landed on one of the maids and he felt a strong urge to drop his jaw. Marc was stood by a table and was writing down the person's order and one word went through Nathaniel's mind: legs. Without realizing it, Nathaniel's face turned redder than his hair and the guys around him noticed his reaction.

"Hey Nathaniel, are you alright?"

Adrien worriedly questioned the blushing boy.

"Leg."

Nathaniel whispered that one word as his only response.

The guys looked around and noticed all of the maids except for Marc who was now back in the kitchen picking up an order. They all assumed that it was the girls that had caught Nathaniel's attention. Kim smirked.

"The girls do look rather nice in those outfits, don't they?"

Kim remarked, his eyes only on Ondine who noticed her boyfriend and smiled at him. He smiled back and waved at her.

After a short moment of waiting, the boys were brought to a large table with several seats. Nathaniel sat down and his mind was rapidly flipping from thought to thought. He was straight, wasn't he? He's always liked girls, but he's always thought that Marc was cute with his bright, expressive eyes and button nose. Nathaniel breathed in deeply as he resisted the urge to bury his face into his hands. Maybe he did like guys. He knew that it wasn't a bad thing to not be straight.

Rose and Juleka have been together for a few months and everyone was accepting of them. But they're girls and Nathaniel has noticed that people tend to not be as kind to two guys together. Before he got sucked into those thoughts, their table was approached and he prayed that it wasn't Marc taking their order.

The artist glanced up and felt his heart leap into his throat. Now that the writer was standing right in front of him, Nathaniel could see the design of Marc's outfit even better and he had a closer view of Marc's legs. Nathaniel bit his tongue and gripped the edge of his chair.

Marc looked up from his notepad and felt heat flood his cheeks as he saw Nathaniel sitting at the table he was serving. The dark-haired boy swallowed hard and shakily asked them what they would like to order. One by one, Marc got the orders from each boy until it was finally Nathaniel's turn.

Nathaniel was still biting his tongue, entirely distracted by the way that the dress moved around Marc's legs when the green-eyed boy moved, occasionally rising up the tiniest bit to reveal more skin.

"And what would you like, Nathaniel?"

Marc shyly asked.

Without thinking, Nathaniel blurted the first thing that came to mind.

"Legs!"

Everyone at the table went silent and looked at Nathaniel like he had lost his mind. All except Luka who glanced between Marc and Nathaniel with a knowing look and a playful smirk resting on his face as he quickly understood what was going on. Nathaniel breathed in and out quickly before clearing his throat.

"Chicken legs, I meant to say."

Nathaniel rubbed the back of his neck nervously while willing his blush to go away.

"O-okay."

Marc murmured with a confused look while writing the order down and he headed back to the kitchen.

Nathaniel kept his gaze on the table, not daring to meet anyone's eyes. He felt a hand land on his shoulder and give a small squeeze. He looked up to see Luka smiling reassuringly at him and relaxed a little. It was as if the blue-haired boy's calmness was infectious and after a few minutes, Nathaniel was feeling much better and none of the guys seemed to be thinking about his outburst.

Soon, Marc came back while carrying a tray and held it one-handed while putting drinks and plates of food down in front of everyone. Nathaniel smiled at Marc when the dark-haired placed his plate down and Marc shyly smiled back. After all the plates had been set down, the guys said their thanks and began eating.

Marc walked away and Nathaniel couldn't help one last glance at Marc's legs which were surely going to be the death of him. He shook his head a little and began eating his food, hoping that it would be enough to keep his mind clear of anything having to do with his comic partner.

Once the food was all eaten and everyone felt satisfied, everyone pitched in on the cost of the meal and donated to the fundraiser. The guys all stood up and started talking to their classmates who were cleaning up the cafe before it closed. Luka gave his sister a hug before beginning to talk to a blushing Marinette.

Ivan kissed Mylene on the cheek and the short girl did the same to him. Kim was standing close to Ondine and talking loudly to her while she was chuckling, probably at a joke he was telling. Adrien was helping Kagami clean tables and talking to her with a smile on his face. Alya was showing Nino something on her phone while Nino looked interestedly at whatever she was showing him.

Nathaniel watched all of the couples before noticing Marc standing alone while putting trays away. Suddenly Alix bumped into Nathaniel's shoulder.

"Now's your chance."

The punky girl said bluntly with a smile.

"Chance for what?"

Nathaniel wasn't sure what she was getting at.

Alix fought the urge to roll her eyes and nodded her head in Marc's direction.

"To make a move."

The short girl spoke exasperatedly at how oblivious Nathaniel could be sometimes.

Nathaniel glanced at Marc and blushed slightly.

"I don't know if I should."

The redheaded artist said with uncertainty.

Alix huffed a little before smirking.

"Just know that I'm doing this for your own good."

Before Nathaniel could ask what she meant by that, Alix, with a surprising amount of strength, grabbed Nathaniel by the wrist and practically dragged him over to Marc.

"Hey, Marc!"

Alix greeted the writer loudly and Marc jumped, not expecting it, but he quickly relaxed and smiled at her.

"Hey, Alix."

Then Marc noticed Nathaniel and he smiled shyly with a hint of fondness in his eyes.

"Hi, Nathaniel."

Nathaniel stammered out a greeting back and Alix fought the urge to roll her eyes. If she had to watch these two pine over each other anymore without making a move, she was going to lose it. She then remembered that she had brought her rollerblades with her and smirked as an idea came to her.

While Marc and Nathaniel were lost in their conversation about the next issue of their comic, Alix quietly walked away without them noticing and saw Kim with Ondine. Alix smirked and approached Kim.

"Hey, Kim. You up for a race?"

The taller boy instantly got a competitive look on his face.

"That's like asking if I like to swim. Name the time and place."

Kim replied with a grin.

"How about right here and right now?"

Alix asked mischievously.

Kim looked surprised for a second before chuckling.

"You're on."

Ondine shook her head but smiled at her boyfriend's behavior.

Quickly Alix put her rollerblades on and she and Kim got into position. Ondine stood nearby and once the two were ready, Ondine said for them to go. Kim and Alix took off and began doing laps through the small cafe. Marc and Nathaniel, too caught up in their conversation, failed to notice what was going on and Alix smirked gleefully. Perfect!

When she was approaching where Nathaniel and Marc were standing, she acted like she was losing control of her skates.

"Look out!"

Alix shouted loudly as she slowed her movements down significantly so she bumped into Marc with not enough force to hurt him but enough to make him begin to fall over. In align with her plan, Nathaniel instantly reached out and caught Marc before he fell, leaving the dark-haired boy held tightly in Nathaniel's arms.

Alix mentally cheered as the two gazed into other's eyes with matching blushes. Alix noticed that Nathaniel was glancing down to Marc's lips and one thought shot through her mind: Just kiss him! However, Marc and Nathaniel quickly broke apart and began muttering apologies to each other.

Alix held back a curse before letting out a sigh. Well, she tried. She skated over to Rose and Juleka and decided to help them out with cleaning, not noticing Marc and Nathaniel slip into the unoccupied kitchen. While cleaning, Alix glanced around and didn't see Nathaniel or Marc anywhere but didn't think anything of it, guessing that they were cleaning somewhere else.

After about half an hour, all of the work was done and everyone left the cafe and started branching off. Alix tagged along with Marc and Nathaniel who were walking closer than usual and appeared flustered. Alix was a little bored and randomly glanced to the side at Nathaniel and the short girl couldn't help but notice the light sheen on his bottom lip.

"Nathan, are you wearing lip gloss?"

Alix questioned with a confused look because she has never seen Nathaniel use makeup on his lips.

Nathaniel's face instantly turned the same color as his hair and he didn't answer her question. Alix watched his reaction and noticed that Marc was acting the same way. After a few seconds, Alix pieced it together and began laughing loudly. Marc and Nathaniel both blushed more and didn't look her in the eyes.

"So, that's why you two were gone for a few minutes. I'm so glad that my efforts weren't in vain!"

Nathaniel quickly glanced at her when she said the last part.

"Do you mean that you bumping into Marc was on purpose?!"

Nathaniel stared at her incredulously.

Alix shrugged.

"Yeah, but I'm glad that I did it. Watching you two dance around each other was getting old."

Nathaniel looked disapproving but smiled at the short girl.

"I wish you hadn't resorted to bumping into Marc, but thanks."

Alix grinned at him.

"You're welcome."

After a few minutes, they passed the Lourve and Alix said goodbye to Marc and Nathaniel before heading home. After Alix left, the creative pair walked quietly, hand in hand, through the streets of Paris as the sun began to set. The sky shone with purple, pink, and yellow and Nathaniel gazed up in awe at the mix of colors.

Marc smiled as he watched Nathaniel's face and saw the sky reflected in the artist's eyes. Thinking over the day's events made the writer realize that he never would have imagined that this would be the day that he told Nathaniel how he felt, but honestly, he wouldn't have it any other way.


End file.
